After hearing all about the neat stuff Pirates and other seafaring scallywags will be receiving in the upcoming patch of Pirates of the Burning Sea, Flying Lab Software has finally announced that the open seas on the Testbed server will finally be ready to test the new 1.4 patch of the game.

User Experience Researcher Janice Von Itter (fraxl) mentioned that the biggest focus in this latest build's series of tests will be the new set of career skills created to give players an easier time understanding the game in its earlier stages.

Since patch 1.4 will focus on the early game, potential playtesters will be required to create new characters and collect data based on several critical points outlined in the source page, accessible through the link below.

In addition, the dev team will also be looking to test the newly revised skills in high-level PvP fights. Volunteers for this part of the test phase will be automatically leveled to 50 and given appropriate ships and outfitting for PvP. The port of Cabo Raphael will be designated as the official PvP hotspot for the duration of this particular testing segment.

The volunteers will be required to already have level 50 characters on the live servers to qualify for this part of the test. The first 100 qualified volunteers will then be given out their gear and ships on Monday between 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. PST.

If you're interested in lending a hand in shaping the next leg of this piratey MMO game, don't hesitate to drop the developers a line through their email. Even if you don't get chosen as a volunteer playtester, it shouldn't deter you from sending in your own feedback on the live version of the game, which can be easily done on the PotBS Playability Lab forum.